Possessed
by Soran Marlovic
Summary: Jak has been acting strangely since Erol's death, and suddenly everyone else is acting strangely towards him as well. noncon, pairings: Jak/Erol, Jak/Jinx, Jak/Torn, Jak/Sig.
1. Chapter 1

A cold wind blows. Cultures planet-wide had a fear of death, and a sense of mystery and curiousity of the world that waits afterward. Some believe in a guardian God, a shepherd welcoming home the souls of his flock. Some believe in a hateful one, who punishes all equally despite the sins and joys of life. And some believe that the dead remain on earth, watching, guiding, and sometimes… Haunting.

It was a blistering-cold night. Haven was a world away from the desert that surrounded it, but it was still subject to desert weather, and that meant that at night, even in the underground headquarters, the thin blankets were hardly enough to stave off the frost. Jak shivered, tossing and turning, and glaring at his little orange friend, blissfully unaware clad in his own fur coat. Jak tossed the blanket off, frustrated, and pulled on instead a tattered leather coat slung over a chair at his bedside. Pulling his hands through the sleeves, he brought them to his face and slowly breathed onto them, rubbing the frozen breath together before the moisture wicked away what remaining heat he had left. Passing a few other underground agents, he reached into a pocket and pulled out a pack of smokes, heading for the door out.

Rather than open the door automatically, which would have made a loud noise and woken up every agent in the underground building, Jak left the machine off and slowly pushed the heavy metal aside, pulling it closed behind him, and ascended the stairs. The air was stagnant and stale in this in-between passage, caused by the airtight doors. Jak placed an unlit cigarette to his lips, dangling it precariously from his only faintly damp lips, the paper clinging to his soft, feminine lips.

As he shoved the outer door aside, a wave of cold air assailed the hero, almost blowing the cigarette from his lips, and fusing his eyelids together with frost. Rubbing his eyes both from sleep and discomfort, he reached behind him, and dragged the sliding door shut, leaning against it exhaustively. Pulling his goggles down and opening his eyes, Jak reached in his pocket and pulled out a match-stick, striking it against the tough Yakow leather and holding the flame against the end of his cig quickly, as though afraid the cold would freeze even the flame.

He breathed deep, sighing as the warmth from the cigarette seemed to spread like green eco through his veins. The tips of his ears went numb from the cold and Jak absently rubbed them with one hand as he held the cigarette in the other, watching the quiet buildings in the dark. No one goes outside at night in this city, both from fear of violating the Krimzon curfew and from fear of the biting desert night Jak braved in order to enjoy the warmth of a cig. He normally didn't smoke, but on nights like this, the immediate warmth was more of a comfort than most of his friends. Ever since Erol killed himself on his accidentally suicidal attempt at Jak's life, everyone, even Torn, was under the impression that he, Jake was guilty for causing the psychodic bastard's death.

"Why I would feel sorry for that sick rapist is beyond my fathoming." Jak took another drag from the cig, twisting the soft cartilage of his eartip. He chewed the bit of the cig irritatedly and tossed the half-done square underfoot. Letting the smoke drift away, he watched it freeze and float, floating skyward, twisting and changing shape. Whisping like the form of a ghost...

"Oh I don't know… I think we were quite close at one point wouldn't you agree?"

Impossible.

That person didn't exist. Its just a trick of the mind. I'm still asleep and having a nightmare. I'm falling to mind-tricks because of the lack of sleep from the past few days. Dead people don't talk, and they certainly don't talk to him, who has killed so many and seen so many die.

"There are far more impossible things in the world Jak." The name pierces him like no one else could say it. That voice made a name into an insult. Jak flinches, closes his eyes and turns to the door, reaching to open it. "Certainly more impossible than a man with unfinished business attending to it." Shivers ran down Jaks spine, as sensations of a barely present hand caressed his cheek. He was pushed against the wall, and turned as soon as he was struck, his cheek red but thankfully, his time outside made him cool enough to avoid rending warm flesh to the cold wall.

"WHO'S THERE?!" Jak screamed to the empty street, his eyes wildly searching. Hands reached desperately and pulled his goggles down to his neck, Fear laced through his being, more irrational fear than he had ever felt. He was returned to years past, to a time when a mere voice was enough to bring him to tears…

"You make me sad Jak… Can't you recognize the voice of your former lover?" A cruel drawl invades into him, a memory of a man who made his life a living hell. Jak opened the door violently, closing it sloppily behind him, and raced down the staired hall, almost forgetting to open and close the door silently. Breathing heavily, Jak slid to the floor, covering his head with his knees and wrapping his arms tight around himself. It was still late. He had only been outside a few minutes. It was just a flashback, perhaps a memory, or a hallucination: A manifestation of a fear for a man who no longer existed in this world and on this plane.


	2. Chapter 2

"You doin' okay Jak?" Torn looked up from his paperwork with a rare glimpse of humanity in his cold eyes. "You haven't been yourself lately." Jak chuckled, gathering ammo from his gun-rack, and polishing the pieces for his Vulcan Fury. His fingers traced the lines of each piece softly, cleaning the metal with care, assembling it with skill, and not allowing a single piece to touch another beyond its perfect place for the gun. The detail always captivated his attention; keeping it away from unwarranted thoughts. As soon as the weapon was assembled, he cocked it and aimed at the various posters around the room, only pausing to leave a scorch-mark on the spot where a poster of the now dead commander of the Krimzon Guard once hung; one Captain Erol. Torn watched the weapon discharge with clear disapproval of its use inside the building, much less further damaging his wall.

"I'm fine Torn. I've been fine, I will be fine, and I _still_ don't understand why you ask me that every day." Torn shrugged and tapped his papers into order, slapping them onto the table and sitting upright. As though it were a call to attention, Jak turned to face him, holstering the gun across his back. A certain orange rat also reacted to the charge, scampering up his best friend's body to perch on his shoulder and stand stock still, mocking the military aire of the room.

"Alright then. Your mission today is a simple one, so I won't expect you to fuck it up. You're to play babysitter for Vin while he sets up a few… Devices for the shadow to … ahem, _shadow_ the Krimzon Guard's general activities. If we're lucky, we may even find out about some raids in advance." Leaning under the desk to grab a new stack of papers, Torn continued. "Of course… The information will be useless pretty quickly if we use any of it, and will probably cause more trouble than good, but the Shadow is encouraging the plan just in case it saves a few agents." Jak was already halfway to the door by the time Torn sat upright again. The older soldier smiled roguishly, proud of his friend for his strength. Though he'd never mention it, Torn was appreciative of Jak's tough attitude. The boy seemed odd ever since Erol's death, and acted highly defensive about the topic, but at least he was handling it like a man. Returning his thoughts to work, Torn rifled through the papers, and shivered softly as what seemed to be a cold breeze flowed through the air vent beneath him. "I'll have to get that checked by the tech later."

Jak leaned in and out of traffic, racing to his destination as though running from something. His best friend and fur ball was blissfully unaware of the tense anxiety racing through his friend and mount, just enjoying the speed that Jak usually employed on the road. The two proceeded to Vin's lair without words, and when they arrived, as usual, Daxter was the first one to talk. "Hey kibbles'n'bits! How goes?!" Vin shuddered at the nickname and turned from the screen. "Honestly… I- I don't know where y-you get these weird n-nicknames for me." The jittery scientist was collecting miscellaneous items hurriedly. "I- I'll be ready in just a moment. Then we can go to place the devices." Daxter jumped down from Jak's shoulder and started to tease the scientist as he prepared for the trip. Jak hung near the entrance and waited, though it wasn't long before something he didn't invite came. At first Jak thought it was a figment of his imagination. Like phantom pain, he felt fingers caressing him. Flashbacks eclipsed his vision, unwanted hands caressing him, sweet nothings in his ear and intrusive fingers, pressing, invading… so much pain. Those same fingers seemed to be on him now, that same breath pervading the air. Jak shook his head, drawing himself out of his thoughts, and returning to reality. Those fingers seemed to remain, as the breath, but Jak willed them away. Taking his gun from his holster he came up behind Vin and grabbed his shoulder, startling the nervous scientist. "Have you got everything?" Vin rifled through the box he held and nodded silently, pushing his glasses up on his face. "Then lets go." Jak walked straight toward the teleporter as Vin hastily set the coordinates. Daxter barely had time to jump to his shoulder as he stepped through the portal.

"WATCH OUT!" a piece of debris flew past Jak, barely clipping his face. The hero dodge-rolled out of the way, immediately readying his weapon and pushing Daxter closer to his pack to protect him from any other stray attacks. Investigating the area, Jak saw nothing, as the clearing immediately following entrance from the portal was filled with Dust. The familiar sound of the portal activating and a flurry of coughing and fumbling followed as Jak rushed over, grabbing a very bewildered Vin and savagely pulling him out of the way of the prior explosion's source, nearly dislocating the scientists' arm in the process. The stunned man was silent instinctually save the clinking of the metal in his arms as he shook like a leaf. There were no sounds now, and the dust was starting to clear, so Jak signaled Dax to stay and keep Vin quiet while he investigated. Surprisingly serious, Daxter obeyed wordlessly as Jak slinked toward the source of the explosion. As he came around the corner, he touched at his cheek gingerly, and found that the flying debris hadn't drawn blood, only left a streak of black soot across his face. Turning the corner cautiously Jak was suddenly bowled over by something immediately preceeding an explosion. In the sudden lack of visibility caused by the dust, Jak quickly twisted to land on top of whatever had hit him, and pinned it to the ground, holding his gun to its head, ready to shoot if it moved, fearing a metal head. He almost dropped his gun when he found what it was instead.


	3. Chapter 3

"**Heheh, so I take it ye ain't mad about that cherry bomb I **_**fergot**_** about…?" The shit-eating grin on Jinx's face almost completely hid the veiled fear which was perfectly understandable when someone is holding a gun to your head. Sighing with relief, Jak uncocked his weapon and reholstered it, leaning up and pulling Jinx with him to stand. The demolition-man was covered head to toe in soot, and as soon as he stood up he started coughing a bit, expelling flecks of dirt and solidified eco from his throat. "Sorry for the rude introduction, but I didn't exactly want ya throwing off the explosion." Leave it to Jinx to put more value on the way a bomb explodes than the life of a friend.**

"**What're you doing here Jinx?" The grungy blond tugged a cigar from a pocket and chewed off the tip. "What's it look like Jakie-boy? I'm blasting out some eco! Got a contract from the guard that they want a few more chunks outta this old strip-mine. Ain't that why you're here?" Jak let the curiosity show before turning to the spot where the explosions originally came. "Lemme guess. Torn didn't tell you?" the place was eerily quiet, so much so that Jak could hear the soft 'flick' of Jinx's lighter. "Lemme fill in the blank goldilocks. This place has been ignored by the metal heads for a few weeks for some reason. So its quieter than Krew's deals. Torn had this idea to bug the place for months, but you guys' didn't exactly have any cover to keep some guard from snooping around while you set up the tech. That's where ol' Jinxie comes in!" Tapping his cigar and puffing his chest, Jinx looked the part of a cartoon. Jak rolled his eyes.**

"**I get it. So you got the contract and let Torn know his 'in' had arrived. How much more demo have you got?" Jinx shrugged, starting to walk back to a wall of sandbags a generous distance from the previous explosion. "I got work all week. But you guys may need some clues when to set up the bugs, cause in between explosions you ain't got nothing to keep the guard from gettin' curious." Letting Jinx walk the rest of the way to his stash, Jak turned back to go and retrieve Dax and Vin. As soon as he turned out of Jinx's sight however he suddenly felt dizzy, practically falling into a rock-wall for support. He growled gutterally, holding his forehead as if his hand could leech the pain away. "What the fuck is going on with me…" A shiver ran through him again and he stumbled to keep walking again, trying to escape his memories.**

"**So you knew that bomb-rat hm? I suppose that's how you managed to kill me…" Jak mumbled a half-hearted 'go away' as he struggled across the level ground. "Now why would I do that boy?" Letting his irritation get the better of him, Jak's eyes rolled black and he screamed to no one "Go the fuck away!" A sudden squeal disrupted his thoughts as he looked over and noticed he had returned to the gate. Vin stared with petrified eyes, and Jak had a creeping suspicion that the elderly-looking elf was dangerously close to soiling his pants. "Lets go. I figured out what the explosions are. Jinx is providing cover-noise for our operation." Daxter materialized from behind Vin with some uncertainty in his gait and voice.**

"**Hey buddy, you seem stressed. You sure you don't wanna just blow off Torn and drop by the hip hog for a drink or something?" Jak shook his head, blinking quickly as he realized he was still clutching his forehead. "No Dax, I'll be fine. I'm just having some trouble thinking." Dax slapped the back of Jak's neck playfully, as one would slap a friends back. "Well then all the more reason to drink and give yourself a reason not to!" Jak sighed but smiled genuinely. "Yea, maybe."**

**The mission passed quickly. Dax wound up helping Vin more than Jak did, so he wound up lolling just outside of the blast radius, keeping watch and feeling useless. The one good thing seemed to be that the erattic explosions kept Jak from thinking, and consequentially kept thoughts of that disembodied voice from his mind. Soon the final machine was in place, and Jinx was returning to other parts of the mine since cover was no longer needed. As the three of them were about to leave however, in the quiet with the distant sound of Jinx's explosion, Jak paused. "Hey buddy, you comin?" Dax stood by the open portal, dwarfed by it and looked bedraggled. Something didn't sit right here, and Jak waved his friend off. "Go on ahead Dax, I wanna talk to Jinx. I'll be right behind you…" Jak didn't hear what Dax said in response. Something was unnerving him. It was only when he returned to where the bugs were placed that it occurred to him.**

**It was quiet.**

**Suddenly struck with concern, Jak started into a run, into the general area where Jinx had left toward when they parted ways following the mission. He had to slow down as soon as he reached a certain point however, because the air was choked with dust. Lungs wracked, eyes watering, Jak arched his back as he coughed into his hands. The air tasted like dark eco, and Jak's thoughts became irrationally frantic. "Jinx! Where are you?!" Through the smog of dust a small figure collapsed and Jak ran over, dragging the mysterious frame out of the dust where the air was clearer. Jinx wasn't unconscious, but he was near dead weight. He seemed to have trouble walking, controlling his muscles, and he didn't speak. As soon as the air became clearer, Jak collapsed to his hands and knees, dropping Jinx and focusing on clearing his lungs. As he was about to turn to check on Jinx he was knocked over.**

**Lying on his back Jinx felt heavier than expected. That little frame was mostly muscle it seemed because in Jak's still dazed frame of mind, he couldn't push the blond off. "Jinx, What are you doing? Get off." Red lights and alarms went off in Jak's mind all of the sudden, and Jinx closed his lips over Jaks. Flashes of pain enveloped Jak's senses. **_**Held down, the metal bites his wrists and ankles. Intrusion. His mouth always tasted like blood. Jinx's mouth tasted like his cigar smelled. Everything else melded to his memory. He couldn't move. Couldn't push Jinx off. The uncomfortable feeling of that bulge, except this time instead of being against his hips, he felt it against his stomach, tiny differences accentuating Jinx's height. But the rest was too similar. Too rough, too violent. Jak tore his mouth away, and gasped air. A memory and reality overlapped. Jak's heart froze in fear. Seven words ripped through his consciousness like a knife.**_

"_**God I missed the way you taste"**_


	4. Chapter 4

Time stood still. The quarry was always silent, but suddenly the silence felt unnatural. Jak blinked and nearly laughed with relief when he saw Jinx's expression, jaw gritted but eyes full of concern. 'it must have been a memory' Jaks thoughts relieved him as he leaned to get up. Jinx didn't let him. In the same instant, the bomber's expression could not have been more different. A triumphant grin, wider than he had ever seen Jinx wear. His eyes were wider than usual, but still sharp, sharper than usual, different. Everything was there but at the same time like no expression he had seen on him. Jak's thoughts slogged through as though in a smog, his mind full yet blank; and every question suddenly was answered when Jinx spoke.

"How much of a difference it makes, just one gentle expression." The voice was Jinx, but it was wrong. The accent was completely different, no longer nasal, but he seemed to spit his words. Jak instinctively yelled as the hands on his wrists dug down nails into his skin. Jinx seemed to shudder with excitement. "Its so new and yet familiar..." Jinx-not-Jinx seemed to be lost in sensation and Jak took the opportunity to jerk a his left hand free and slugged the older man in the temple. A loud snarl with the yelp of pain sounded as Jak scrambled free. His eyes searched frantically for his gun, but as soon as he laid eyes on it, his thoughts went blank and his eyes lit up as though a lamp switched on inside his head, filling his vision with glare. Heat and pain radiated from the back of his head, and Jak instinctively wrapped his hands around his skull and curled up, falling over with a cry. Soft in the background, jak could barely recognize the sound of breathing over the ringing in his ears. Yelping in surprise as he felt something wrap around his ankle and begin dragging him along the ground, Jak struggled to regain his composure.

The bloom that filled his vision refused to dissipate no matter how much Jak blinked and his thoughts suddenly lit with frantic, primal fears of permanent blindness. He felt a hand grab his wrist again and frantically swatted in the direction of it's presumed source, only to have the other captured quickly. He hissed as something hard and sharp was wrapped around them both, tying his hands above his head, whatever was binding bit into his skin and he felt the warm disturbing feeling of blood down from one hand. All of this seemed to happen in mere seconds. His vision suddenly started to darken, blurred visions accompanied by audio looping in and out, disorienting him further with confusing, ambiguous data.

"I didn't exp... - saw him lying … - scious … - you, so quic... - played along... - gullible." sensations lit up with cold and Jak barely registered the sound of ripping fabric. His vision began to clear slowly, and Jak's jaw immediately went slack, his vocals going crazy as he swore he saw red hair. A hand wrapped around his throat, bringing memories that seemed to make concrete what he saw in front of him. His voice cut out, eyes bugging with fear and pressure behind his eyes built as he pulled at his restraints, desperately trying to wriggle loose from Erol's hold. "Be still." A halo surrounded the vision in front of him, the most disgusting lie he had ever witnessed. As the vision progressed however, though the halo remained, Erol's face became Jinx's, and the confusion returned. His sensations seemed to lie with every second, it felt like a nightmare, and then his body exploded in pain.

Sensations wove their way in and out of his awareness, a sharp pain in his shoulder as teeth sank in, a hand gripped him hard on his thigh, pressing past near nonexistant protests. He struggled to pull his arms in, feeling blood trickle down his arms, struggled to keep his thighs together; even Jak knew there was no energy in every feeble kick, Jinx-not-Jinx swatted away any protests as his hands wandered into Jak's torn clothing, across skin now patterned with the bumps of raised hairs, not for the cold but for so many other sensations conflating his near broken form. Jak yelped as he felt a familiar but unwelcome intrusion, Jinx-not-Jinx's hands had found a mark and mercilessly explored. More aware but by no means clear-headed, Jak felt his heart drop past his stomach and his mouth go dry as he was lifted off the ground by strong hands. He mouthed pleading, begging, but could find no voice.

The pain seemed to bring more clarity than time would allow. Time moved in fast forward, and his head filled with that demonic laughter, those passionate grunts and sickening physical sounds. Staring straight ahead, Jak willed his vision clear, but he could only see Erol. The hair was wrong, the face too wrinkled, but the expression made a connection which could allow no details of reality to overlap the details of memory Jak's mind let fill his vision.

The face moved, grinning, yelling things over Jak's screaming. Was he still screaming? The world seemed deafened. All that he could absorb was that expression, boring into his eyes and holding him captive. The pain radiating from every part of him, the familiar pain internal, returning like an old scar but much more vivid. Jak almost felt detached from reality but that pain brought him back like a leash that refused to let him go. Every thrust released new excruciating lashes of fire. The sensation was so acute and yet he couldn't ever pinpoint it, but every fibre of his being focused on it, screaming for him to escape, run, fight, kill. But at the same time, another part of his brain responded with eager submission. It cried out, begging for mercy, admitting defeat, admitting all the things he knew Erol wanted to hear. That voice was getting louder in Jak's mind and he wished the sound of the world would return, even listening to Erol's bullshit would be better than the crippling sound of his own desperate defeat. Despite knowing the truth, Jak desperately tried to convince himself that it was his killing instinct, his desire to transform that was screaming. But he knew better. The face in front of him knew better. These quarry cliffs were the walls of a cell they both knew well, and as suddenly the world went white, and Jak prayed for death.


End file.
